Buttoning machine



' 1 L.-J. BAZZONI BUTTONING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet} Filed May 9. 1924 April 27, 1926. r 1,582,116

. L. .1. BAZZONI BUTTONING 111161111111 Filed May 9. 1924 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 17? Fi g3.

L. J. BAZZONI BUTTONING momma April 7 Patented Apr. 27, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEWIS JAMES BAZZONI, OF SVJ'AMPSCOTT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

BUTTONING MACHINE.

Application filed May 9,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEWIS J. BAZZONI, a citizen of the United States, residing at Swampscott, in the county of Essex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Buttoning Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying the step-by-step type disclosed in. United- States Letters Patent No. 1,497,001", granted June 10, 1924;, upon my application although in various aspects the invention is not limited to embodiment in machines of that type or to embodiment in machines operative step by step.

It is essential to the successful operation of a buttoning machine that it shall be so constructed as to be capable of handling work in which the spacing of the buttonholes varies widely. On the other hand, this very element of the variation of spacing of the buttonholes makes the work of the machine more difficult, particularly as regards the proper feeding of the buttonhole fly. In the machine illustrated herein as embodying this invention, as in the machine of the application referred toabove, the buttonholes are engaged one at a time by a resiliently mounted fly feeding finger. After this finger has delivered any particular buttonhole to the buttoning instrumentalities, so that the buttonhole fly is held in position by said instrumentalities, the fly feeding linger starts to return and is brought into engagement with the next succeeding buttonhole. To this end, the arrangement is such that the linger is brought into resilient engagement with the surface of the buttonhole fly before it reaches the next succeeding buttonhole and is allowed to drag along said surface until it snaps into the next buttonhole. It may enter said buttonhole, however, before the termination of the movement of the part of the machine which actuates the fly feeding finger and before the buttonhole fly has been released. by the buttoning instrun'ientalities. -Means have been 1924. Serial No. 712,002.

provided, therefor-e, which allow a suspension of the movement of the fly feeding finger until the buttonhole fly has been released in order that the fly feeding finger may not be dragged out of the buttonhole or else the buttonhole torn by too great a force exerted against the side of the hole.

One feature of the present invention relates to an improved construction providing an impositive connection between the fly feeding linger and the actuating means so as further to facilitate securing the above result. According to the preferred construction, this impositive connection is so arranged that the actuation of the fly feeding finger in 'a direction to deliver a particular buttonhole to the buttoning instnimentalities is positive, whereas the movement of the fly feeding linger in the opposite direction is effected by an linpositive connection, which is so arranged that movement of the fly feeding finger will be suspended whenever a relatively slight resistance is offered thereto.

In order to avoid'strain upon the work, it has been found desirable so to support the buttonhole fly that it is positioned in a plane substantially at right angles to the plane of the button guide and then to elevate the particular buttonhole in which the but ton is to be inserted just prior to the time when it reaches the end of the raceway. The exact time when it is desired that this should occur, with respect to the operation of the various other parts, and the extent of elevation of the buttonhole, may vary with different classes of work. Accordingly, an other'feature of the invention relates to an adjustable mechanism for determining the time and extent of elevation of the buttonh'ole.

As the fly feeding finger is dragged along the surface of the fly toward the next succeeding buttonhole, the entry of the finger into said buttonhole is made more certain if the edge of the buttonhole fly is maintained at a predetermined distance from the end of said finger so that the finger may enter the enlarged portion of thebuttonhole. Still another feature of the invention,therefore, relates to an adjustable gage member by means of which the position of the edge of the but tonhole fly, with respect to said finger, may be determined.

Such a gage member may become ineffective, however, if the weight of the upper is allowed to pull the row of buttonholes out of the range of movement of the fly feeding finger. In order to render it unnecessary for the operator to avoid such a mishap by supporting manually the upper during the buttoning operation I have, in accordance with another feature of the invention, provided a ledge or support which is so related to the button raceway and the other parts of the machine that it holds up the work. This allows the operator to start a piece of work in the machine and then to turn his attention to inserting the buttons of the next piece of work in the machine while the buttoning of the first-mentioned piece is taking place.

In a machine arranged as shown in my said application, it is found desirable to openthe individual buttonholes prior to the insertion of a button therein and preferably this is accomplished by means of grippers acting upon opposite sides or the buttonhole and arranged to move one side of the buttonhole transversely of the plane of the buttonhole fiy. Accordingly. in the preferred embodiment of my improved ma chine, a novel arrangement is provided such that the gripper which acts upon the rear edge of the buttonhole comes into operation. first. As a result there is no tendency for the position of the buttonhole fly to be changed by the action of the other gripper or grippers 1n distending the buttonhole.

Other features of the 1nvention relate to F the mechanism for feeding and delivering a button to the buttoning instrumentahties.

In machines heretofore constructed, it has been proposed to insert the buttons on abutton piece in the slot of a button raceway and to feed the buttons along this raceway by means of a feeding member engaging the buttons above the raceway. Such an arrangement is open to the disadvantage, however, that with some types of buttons there may be a tendency to tilt the button when it is engaged by the button feeding finger.

In accordance with still another feature of the invention, the button feeding finger is arranged below the raceway to engage the shanks of the buttons between the under side of the raceway and upper side of the button piece. Any strain which may be exerted by the button feeder upon the shank of the button will. therefore, tend to hold the button against the upper side of the raceway in proper position.

After the button has been released "from the feeding finger, there may be a tendency for the pusher member which engages the button to cause it to enter the buttonhole to tilt and improperly engage the button. In accordance with still another feature of the invention, means are provided for clamping a button, which has been delivered to the end of the raceway, in position against the top of the raceway to prevent any tilting thereof when it is engaged by the button pusher.

Machines of this general class must necessarily be made up o1 a considerable number of small parts, and it, according to the ordinary arrangement of similar machines, a large number of these parts is enclosed within a casing, it becomes ditlicult to obtain access to the parts for the purposes of oiling, replacing or repairing. Still another feature of the invention relates to the disposition of the n'ioving parts of the machine upon li'ames which are capable of separation and return to original position with a minimum of skill and ell'ort.

Other features and improved arrangements of the parts will appear from a consideration of the accompanying specification and claims and taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of the machine with the parts in starting position, the cover having been removed;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the upper of a right-hand shoe in the position which it will occupy when first inserted in the machine;

3 is an enlarged plan view showing most of the operating parts of the machine;

Fig. i is a perspective view of the impositive connection between two parts of the feeding mechanism;

Fig. 5 is a detail of part of this same mechanism Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line ($-(3 of Fig. 3 near the delivery end of the race way;

Fig. '4' is an end view with parts of the casing broken away;

Fig. 8 1s a perspective view of the buttoning instrumentalities just after the machine has started;

llig. 9 is a detail plan view illustrating the position of the parts when the first button and the corresponding bnttonhole have been delivered to the buttoning instrumentalities;

Fig. 10 is a similar view at a time just after this, showing the spreading of the buttonhole;

Fig. 11 is another plan view of. a detail similar to Fig. 9 at approximately the same time as in Fig. 10: and

Fig. 12 is a similar view showing the buttoning operation almost completed.

After the upper ot' a button shoe has been substantially completed. and prior to its attachment to the sole. it is customary to button a number of the buttons so that the button piece and the buttonhole fly will be maintained in proper relative position during subsequent operations such as pulling over and lasting. This buttoning is now done chiefly by hand but machines have been devised for performing the buttoning'operation which have been made both 111 the form of gang machines, by means of which several buttoning operations are performed simultaneously, and in the form of step-by step machines, in which the buttons are buttoned individually and successively. The machine herein described is of the latter type and comprises a button guide slot or raceway hole fly and position the buttonholes there.

in successively for the work of buttoning instrumentalities. hen power is supplied to the machine, at the will of the operator, the arrangement is such that the buttons are fed successively to the delivery end of the raceway and are passed by the buttoning instrumentalities one by one through the corresponding buttonholes of the buttonhole fly, which is also fed forward and positioned for this operation. I

All of the operating instrumentalities in eluding both the buttoning parts and the feeding parts, which are adapted to contact with and perform operations upon the work, are preferably supported upon an upper frame 20, while controlling cams, drive shaft, etc, for moving the operating instrumentalities are preferably supported upon another and lower frame member 22, and each of these is supported in turn upon a base or lower casing 24 A cover 26 is pivotally attached at 28 and adapted to be swung over to cover up most of the moving parts of the machine for the protection of the operator and the elimination of dirt In the illustrated construction, the buttoning instrumentalities include a button guide 30 having a curved slot 31, the curvature of which preferably approximates the average curvature of the lines defined by the buttons on the button pieces ofthe shoes to be operated upon. The slot 31 is made of a length to receive all of the buttons on a button piece so that no manipulation of the buttons or of the button piece by the operator is necessary after the machine is started. This button guide or raceway 30 is preferably formed from a single plate, one sideof which is removably attached to the upper frame 20, while the nearer side 32 of the button raceway has 011 it a vertical triangular plate 34: (Fig. 2) by means of which it is attached to the outer end of a bridge 36, the rear end 38 of which is also attached to the upper frame 20. It will be noted that the two parts of the raceway are connected at their outer or entrance end by means of an upturned loop 40 Fig. 1) to facilitate the insertion of buttons therein. The nearer side of the inner or delivery end of theraceway is provided with a downturned lip 42 (Figs. 2, 7 and 8), which serves to deflect away from the head ofthe buttons and the operat ing instrumentalities the free edge of the button piece (Fig. 6), to prevent any interference between this free edge and said parts. The outside edge of the delivery end of the nearer part 32 is directed inwardly to form a tapered end for a reason to 'be later explained. I g

For feeding the buttons along the button raceway to present them to the buttoning-instrumentalities, there is provided a button feeding finger .50, which is pivotally attached at 52 (Fig. to a slide Set which is dovetailed in a slot 56 (Fig. 2) formed in the upper frame member 20. The forward,

end of the button feeding finger is notch-ct at 58 to enable it to engage the shank of a button positioned in the raceway. It will be noted from Figs. 3 and (S that the for ward end of the button feeding finger 50 lies just below the plate 30 in which the raceway or button guiding slot is formed and that it rides against the edge of a bearing surface 60 formed 'by slightly undercutting the bottom guide 32 adjacent to the edge of the slot in the button guide. The finger is resilientlymaintained in this position by means of a spring 64f interposed between a rearward extension of the button feeding finger and an abutment 66 on the slide 54. i a

This arrangement of the button feeding finger beneath the raceway is advantageous for the reason that its thickness together with the thickness of the raceway is substan tially equal to the length of the shank of a button, as a result of which, as shown in Fig. 6, the lower. side of thehcad ofthe button is in engagement with the upper face of the raceway, while the top of the button piece is closely adjacent to the lower side of the button feeding finger, and any tilting or other displacement of the button in the raceway is automatically prevented.

The rearward extension of the button feeding finger 50 forms a finger piece 68 for the use of the operator when it is desired to remove the work from the machine or to bring the notch 58 of the finger into engagement with the shank of a particular button. It will be'notcd that the edge 70 of the finger is curved in such a fashion that, when work is being inserted in the machine, the shank of the first'button maybe dragged against the finger to displace it and allow the shank to be received within the notch 58. This curved surface 70 also allows the finger to ride over the shank of the next succeeding button as the finger moves rearwardly in termediate between two button feeding operations. Actuation of the slide 54 to secure the desired movements of the button feeding 'inger is obtained by means of a lever 72 pivotally attached at T l to the upper frame and provided with a forked forward end T6 for engagement with a pivoted blo k upon the slide Actuation of this lever 72 in turn is secured through a link 78, which is pivotally attached at 80 to another moving partof the machine, as will be later described. and is adjustably secured to the lev .r 2by means of a stud 82 which is received within a slot 84; in said lever. It will be noted that the forward position of the button feeding finger is determined by the location of the end of the button raceway. which is fixed. On the other hand it may be desired to adjust the extent of movement of the button feeding linger so that its rearmost position will make it surely engage the succeeding button upon the button piece. To this end the slot 8d in the lever 7 2 is so designed that it is tangent to a circle drawn around the center of the stud 80 when the lever is in its forward position. Thus adjustment of the stud 82 in the slot 84: does not vary the forward position of the button feeding linger but does change the extent of rearward movement as may be desired.

The buttonhole fly is supported, fed forward, and elevated to proper position for co-operation with buttoning instrumentalh ties, by mechanism which will now be described. The triangular plate M (Fig. 2). in addition to serving as a support for the outer part of the button raceway, also acts. in conjunction with fly feeding fingers 90 and 92 (Fig. 1), to guide the buttonhole fly in substantially vertical relation, as contrasted with the substantially horizontal position of the button raceway, along into position adjacent to the end of the button raceway for the work of the buttoning instrumentalities. The fly feeding lingers 90 and 92 are supported upon an arm 9-1, which is pivotally attached at 96 (Fig. 3) to the upper frame of the machine and it is to this arm that the link T8 is pivoted at 80. lhe arm 9a is adapted to be oscillated, to feed the button hole fy, by means of a lever 98 pivoted to the upper frame of the machine at 100 and attached to the arm 9 L by means of a link 102. Mechanism effecting an impositive connection between the arm 9% and the link 102 will be later described. This link 102 is secured to the outer end of the lever 98 by means of an eccentric stud 10%, which pro rides for a slight adjustment of the position of the arm carrying the fly feeding tingers, and of the arm 72 attached to the button feeding linger, in order to enable the mechanic setting up the machine to determine exactly the forward position of said members when they present the buttonhole in a buttonhole fly and a button on the button piece tothe buttoning instrumenta'lities The lever 98 is actuated by means of roll 106 engaging a cam slot 108 in a cam 110 mounted on the main shaft 11% of the machine. It will be noted that the inturned end of the finger 90 is notched or else bent upwardly so that the buttonhole fly tends to hang on this finger and any tendency for it to slip oil the linger 90 is counteracted.

The forward end of the arm 9% is provided with upstanding lugs 120 and 122 (Fig. 3), which serve as bearings for a stub shaft 12 1-, to the outer end of which there is securely attached a bracket 126. Secured to a lip 128 upon the outer upper end of the bracket 126 is an arm 130, which is curved and made thinner near its lower end to form the inner i'ly il'eeding linger 92. A plate 13 slotted at 12-32 (Fig. 10) and attached to thearm 130 by a screw passing through said slot by means ofwhich its position relative to the arm 130 may be determined, has upon its outer face a gag, pin 13% (Fig. 3) which serves as an adjustable gage for the edge of the buttonhole fly. A pivot pin 136 is provided in the upper outer end of the bracket. 126 by means of which the other fly feeding linger 90 is pivotally attached thereto. From Fi s. 7 and 8 it will be seen that the ily feeding linger 90 is hooked at its lower end to engage in the buttonhole opening and normally, when in the buttonhole, it rests against and is limited in inward movement by the lower end of the finger 92. Formed integrally with the finger 90 is an arm 138 (Fig. 3) having a cam face 140 (Fig. 11) for purpose to be later described. in abutment for a spring 146 is also formed integrally with the finger 90 and a finger piece 14-2 is rigidly attached to said finger. The spring 1 16 serves to keep the hooked lower end of the finger 90 lightly in engage ment with the lower end of the finger 92 but permits the separation of the two fingers during the retrograde movement of the arm 94- as the fingers pass back along the buttonhole fly for engagement with the next succeeding buttonhole.

hen a buttonhole is in button receiving position, its upper edge should be a little above the crown of the button. If, however, it was endeavored to dispose the buttonholc adjacent to the throat of the upper at the level of the head of the corresponding button prior to the feeding of the buttonhole fly, see Figs. 2 and 8, the end of the outer wall 32 of the button guide would either engage the shoe across the seam between the button piece and the vamp or the button piece close to the seam, depending upon the distance by which the button and buttonhole were spaced from the seam. In either case, the portion of the shoe contacting with the wall 32 would not flex readily, thus making it difficult or impossible fully to elevate the buttonhole. Because of these considerations and with a view further to'facilitate the feeding of the buttonhole fly, it is positioned normally with the upper edges of the buttonholes below the tops of the heads of the buttons, as seen in F 2,.and, in order to present the buttonholes in proper button receiving position, the buttonhole, fly is raised subsequent to or during thehnal part of its feeding movement. p

This fly raising mechanism comprises a lever 150 (Fig. 3) which is fixed on the stub shaft 124, which supports the fly feeding fingers, and is located between the hearing lugs 120 and 122. This lever 150 is provided with a roll 152, which is maintained in engagement with a cam plate 154 by means of a helical spring (Fig.1), between the lug 122 and a knurled hollow finger piece 156 (Fig. 2) attached to the rear endof the stub shaft 124. It will be noted from Fig. 3 that the cam plate 154. is adjustablyattached at 158 to the upper frame 20 of the machine. Movement of the arm 94 in a clockwise direction, as viewed from the top, serves to carry forward the buttonhole fly to position a particular buttonhole adjacent to the end of the raceway for the work of the buttoning instrumentalities. As the buttonhole fly is brought into this position, it will be elevated in order to bring the central portion of the buttonhole opposite the head of the button which is to be passed into the buttonhole. The above-noted adjustment of the cam plate 154 allows the operator to determine exactly the time at which the buttonhole fly is raised with respect to the time of operation of the feeding arm 94 or the button passing instrumentalities or, on the other hand to determine the extent of elevation of the button hole in the buttonhole fly in accordance with the size and shape of the head of the button. The edge gage 134 ensures the proper location of the end of the buttonhole fly feeding finger 90 with respect to the expanded upper ends of the buttonholes and it is usually set to aline the finger with said expanded por-- tions, so that, during the rearward movement of the arm 94, the finger 90 will be sure to enter the next buttonhole. As will be later described, the buttonhole fly finger 90 is removed positively from the particular buttonhole which it has delivered to the buttoning instrumentalities and is held removed for an interval but, during the early part of its rearward movement, is allowed resiliently to engage the buttonhole fly under the action of the spring 146 and to. drag along the outer side of said fly until it comes into engagement with and enters into the next succeeding buttonhole. Owing to the variable spacing of buttonholes in different classes or sizesof work, the fly fee-ding finger 90 obviously will enter'a buttonhole earlier in its rearward movement finger 90. To meet these conditionsand enable the machine to operateupon work in which the buttons and buttonholes are variously spaced, means are provided for operating the arm 94, carrying the finger 90, to permit suspension of the movement of the arm after the engagement of the finger 90 in a buttonhole until the button-' hole fly has been released by the buttoning instrumentalities. On the otherhand, the

operating means for the arm 94 are preferably so constructed as to move the arm positively in the direction of forward feed of the buttonhole fly.

result provides an impositive connection between the arm 94 and thelink 102 connected to the operating lever 98. This connection comprises a bell crank lever 160 (Figs. 3 and 4) pivotally attached at 162 to the arm 94 and pivoted at 164 to the end of the link 102. To control the bell crank lever 160,

An improved mechanism for securing this a lever 166, pivoted intermediate between its ends to the upper frame 20,.is provided, and one end of this lever 166 is provided with an adjustable stud 168 bearing against a curved abutment 170 (F igs..3 and 5), and the curvature is such that the stud is normal to a tangent at the point of contact thus ensuring a firm and even contact. This stud 168 is maintained in. engagement with said abutment'by'a spring 172, of considerable length, attachedto the right-hand end of the lever 166 at one end and at the other end to the frame of the machine (see Fig. 1).

The lever 166 is slotted at 174 to receive roll 176 depending fromftheunattached arm of the bell crank lever 160. When the link 102 tends to oscillate the arm 94 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 8, the tendencyof the roll 176 and the bell crank lever 160 is to hold the adjustable stud 168 in en-' gagement with the abutment 170. On the other hand, during rearward movement of the fly feeding fingers, as the arm 94 is oscillated in the oppositedirection by the link 102, if the fingers90' and 92 engage a buttonhole in-thebuttonhole fly prior to the coin pletion of the return. movement of the link 1052, the continued movement of said link will serve merely to turn the bell crank lever 160 about its-pivot 162 against the tension ofthe spring 172,.thuspermittingsuspension of movement ofthe arm 94 and the fingers 90, 92st) long as thebuttonhole fly 1 integrally with a hub is gripped by the buttoning instrumental}, ties. When the buttonhole fly is released, the arm 94: and the fingers 90, 92 will complete their return movement under the impulse of thespring 172.

As has already been pointed out, the buttonhole fly is guided by the triangular plate 8% and by the face of the downward extension 42 in a plane substantially at right angles to the plane of the button guide 30, by which is meant a plane passing through the guide atright angles to the axes otthe buttons in the slot, andt'z'om this it follows that the position of the buttonhole fly is also substantially parallel to the axes of the buttons in the slot as the buttonhole tly is brought forward by the fly feeding fingers and 92.

After the button to be inserted has been fed to the delivery end of the raceway and the corresponding buttonhole in the buttonhole tly has been positioned adjacent to the end of the raceway at the proper elevation, buttoning instrumentalities hecmne elieetive which open the butt-onh-ole= and push the the buttonthrough it. One element of the buttoning instrumentalities, which serves the double purpose or preventing the premature removal of a. button from the. raceway and assisting in properly holding the buttonhole fly, is, for convenience, termed a raceway closer. This raceway closer (Figs. 3, .7 and 8) comprises a foot mounted at the lower end of an 2u-m182whieh is "formed 18st pivoted upon a pin 186, which is secured in an overhanging bracket 188 attached to. the upper frame 20 of the machine. As will be noted from 3,8 and 12, the foot 180 is notchedat 190 to engage a projection 192 upon theraceway plate. The fOot'lSO also has a depending lip 181 (Figs. 7, S and 5)) to engage and displace the button. feeder as. will be described later. A spring 19% (Fig. .7) is insertedbetweenthe overhangingbracket 188 and an arm 196 of the raceway closer. resiliently to. maintain the foot in position across the end of'the raceway as determined by the notch 190 and the projection .192.v

Associated with the raceway closer and forming part of .the buttoning instrinnentalities are fly-engaging fingers 202 and 2041-. The finger 202 forms part of a rock lever 200 (Figs. 2, 3 and 8) which is pivoted upon the pin 186 in the overhanging bracket 188. The other fly-engagingfinger 20a is pivotaL ly attached to thefinger 202 andis norn'ial- 1y urged toward the raceway of the machine byiaspring 206 (Figs. 3 and .7); Shoulders upon the finger 202 and the hub 01" the finger 204 c-o-act to determine their normalrelative )osition which is sliownin Fig. 3. These fingers are disposed for engagement with the buttonhole fly on opposite sides of the but tonhole presentedin position to receive a linger 20a preferably contacts United States Letters Patent 1 Preferably, and as shown, the latter method is en'iployed and a transverse movement of the forward edge of the buttonhole is ei'l'ceted by the linger 202 in conjunction with the member 180 normal y disposed across the end of the slot 3 but mounted for yielding movement away from the slot. the fingers 202 and 201 being so oper d thatche finger 20 1 grips the fly sack of the rear edge of the buttonhole against the button guide and then is allowed to remain s itionary while the movement of the finger: 1-3 is continued to thrust the forward edge ot the buttonhole and the member 180 across the slot. The opening of the buttonholcs by movement of one ot' their edges transversely of the bottonhole fly possesses manifest adi 'antages in that the buttonholes may thereby be openedeasily and withoutappreciable strain on. their edges, whereas the opening ot'a buttonhole by pushing back the edgesot the buttonhole in the plane oi? thefly requires the exertion ot'a substantial force which imposes a correspondingly strain on the edges of the buttonholes with consequent danger of tearing them. The with the but tonhole fly at a point spaced from the edge of a buttonhole as indicated in Fig. 5), uheicas the finger 202 is disposed to project close to the edge of the buttonhole opening or even slightly beyond thisedge shown in mama: to which reference has been made above. This arrangement of the lingers permits the rear edge of the buttonhole to flex outwardly to facilitate the insertion ofa button into the buttonhole, and insures the cc" lettopening of the but-tonhole commez with the extent or movementet the is 202. The manner of enga 'enient oi the finger 202 with the buttonhole fly not only causes the edge of the buttonhole to be pushed back to the. full limit ofmoreznent of the linger thus opening the buttonhole to the maximum degree, but prevents in} to the fly such as might ensue. ii the e the finger was spaced from the edge ot bnttonhole. by the bending of the a? the buttonhole about the linger by the briton in its passage into the buttonhole. The linger 20st contacts first with the 'buttonholc loo fly, preferably, and clamps it against the guiding means, thereby preventing any displacement of the body of the fly when the finger 202 starts to distend the buttonhole. The spring 206 between the fingers can as the finger 20st to partake normally of the movements of the finger 202, but permits the movement of the finger 20a to be discontinued after it has gripped the buttonhole piece against the button guide while the movement of the finger 202 is continued to open the buttonhole.

Movement of the rock lever 200 to accomplish these results is transmitted thrtmgh a depending arm 208 to which is connected a rod 210, which in turn is actuated from a lever 212 (Fig. 7) pivotally mounted upon the lower frame 22 of the machine. and pivotally connected to the rod .210 by a removable pin 214%. At its lower end, the lever is provided with an idler'roll 216 engaging a lateral cam track 218 in a cam 220 mounted on the main shaft 114.. 7

Relative movement of a button and the buttonhole fly to effect abuttoning opera.- tion is accomplished in this machine by holding the fly with the buttonhole spread open and inserting the button by means of a. button pusher 222 fixed to a vertical pivot rod 22 1, which is support-ed in a bearing in the upper frame 20 of the machine (Fig. 7 and which is actuated through alink 226 from a lever 228 provided with an idler roll 230 (Fig. 3) engaging a peripheral cam slot 232 in the cam 110 on the mam shaft 114. Although, in the illustrated construction, the pusher is movedfin a path oblique to the slot 31 of the buttonguide, it is evidentthat; if desired, it may be moved at right angles to such slot without departing from the principles of the invention. Secured to this same pivot pin 22a is a wiper 234, which is adapted to engage the cam surface 140 (Fig. 11) upon the arm 138 which is integral with the fly feeding finger to' push. aside the fly feeding finger 90 and remove it from a buttonhole prior to the insertion of a button therein by the button pusher 222.

The finger 90 for feeding the lmttonhole fly is so constructed as to retain its engage ment with the buttonhole of the fly which it enters on its rearward movement. and the fingers 202 and 20 1 are retained in gripping engagement with the buttonhole fly until substantially the time when the linger 90 normally completes its rearward movement. hen the buttons on the button piece of a shoe are inserted in the button guide, the buttonhole fly normally occupies substantially the proper position relatively to the button guide and its associated parts. There is. however, a slight tendency of the buttonho'le fly to sag, increasing as the buttoning operations progress toward the top of ashoe. The fly is supported'against this tendency by the fingers 202 and 204 while it is gripped thereby and is at other times supported by the finger 90. s p

The movement of thefinger 202 across the slot of the button guide to open the button hole tends to disengage the buttonhole fly from the finger 90, the inward movement of ,which is limited by the flat finger 92. This flat finger 92, however, by contact with the inner surface of the fly admcent to the inturned hooked end of. the feeding finger projecting through the buttonhole maintains the fly on the finger. until the finger is positively withdrawn from the buttonhole by the wiper 23%. After a button has been positioned'at the end of the raceway by the button feeding finger 50, it is desirable to maintain it firmly in position until it is pushed into the buttonh'ole by the button pusher 222. To this end a button clamp 24:0 (Figs. 6, 8 and is pivotally mounted at 242 upon the upper frame 20 and normally pressed into engagement with the top of the button by a spring2-hi between. a rearward extension of said clamp and the upper frame 20. It will be noted from Fig. 8that a cam surface 2.4.5 is provided upon the lowersurface of the button clamp in a position to be engaged by the button pusher 222, in itsretrograde movement, so as to lift the button clamp away from the raceway pending the delivery of the next succeeding button to the end of theraceway in position 'forthe action of the button pusher.

' Power may be supplied to the main shaft 11% through a driving pulley 250 loosely mounted on said shaftand adapted to be connected thereto by a suitable clutch, one

part of which has a cam (Figs. 3 and 7) ingposition for engagement by an arm 25%,

which is pivoted upon a pin 256' in the lower frame of the machine. Rigidlyattached to the hub of the arm is a lateral extension 258 having a hub 260 also pivoted to the lower frame 22. The hub 260 is provided with a forwardly extending arm 262 to which a treadle rod may be attached at 26% (Fig. 7), while a rearwardly extending arm 266 is adapted to be operatively connected to a counting"mechanism indicated in dotted lines. A spring 288, interposed between the low-er frame 22 and-the arm 25%, is adapted to elevate said arm into the path of movement of the cam. when released from the treadle. It will be understood that when the arm 25 i is released, it moves into the path of the cam and withdraws part of the clutch to disengage the driving pulley 250 from theishaft 11;. When, however, the

'treadle is depressed and the arm 25% removed from engagement with the cam the clutch part will be moved laterally by a s1 lug, not'shown, to cause the clutch operatively to engage the driving pulley with the shaft of the machine. A hand wheel 270 (Fig. 1) is provided on the shaft 114: to enable the operator to turn the machine over manually in order to test the adjustment of the various parts.

This manual operation of the machine can obviously be accomplished with much greater facilit if the driving belt is loosened. 1t

maid, however, be very inconvenient for the operator to remove the belt from the driving pulley for such purpose, and, accordingly, there is provided a novel arrangement by means of which the driving belt may he loosened or again tightened without disturbing the relation of the belt to the driving pulley or the interrelation of any of the operative parts of the machine. To this end, the lower frame is provided with cars 2722 (Fig. 7) and 2792, which are supported upon an eccentric 276 mounted upon a stub shalt 2Y8, which may be actuated by means of a hand wheel 2S0 (Figs. 1 and 2). hen the eccentric 2T6 is in the position shown in Fig. '7, the operative parts of the machine carried upon the upper frame 20 and the lower frame 22 are elevated to maintain the driving belt taut and any slippage of the eccentric 2Y6 is prevente by its ongagement with a lug 282 on the inside of the lower casing 2t. ri lion, however, it is desired to loosen the (hi ing belt to allow the machine to be turned over by hand, the op erator has only to give a partial rotation to the handle 280 and thereby drop the frames 20 and 22 around the pivot 28 far enough to allow the desired loosening of the h lt.

The tendency of the buttonhole fly to sag has already been noted and this tendency is partly counteracted by the gripping of the lly under the grippers 202 and 20-l. In certain cl es of work, however, the weight of the itcr or shoe upper may be sutiicient to drag down the unsupported part of the buttonhole fly far enough to prevent the entry of the linger into the next succccding buttonhole. The operator may prethis by manually supporting the work but so to do would materially slow down the use of the machine. I have, therefore provided a supporting ledge 282' which is shaped so that it underlies the button guide 39 preferably throughout the length of said gr e and is in'nnediately below and intersects the plane of the guide plate This ledge may, conveniently. be supported on arms 28l extending out from the lower casing 24:. The operator may, then, insert a piece of work and, having started the machine, allow the work to rest on the bar 282 while he reaches for another piece of work and starts to insert the buttons on it in the raceway.

It will be noted from a consideration of the previous description of the operating parts of the machine that those instrumentalities which are adapted to contact with and perform operations upon the work are all supported upon the upper frame 20, which it will be seen from an inspection of Fig. 7 is pivotally attached at 286 to an upright bracket 288 formed upon the lower frame 22. On the other hand, the controlling cams and the driving shaft of the machine are supported upon the lower frame 22, and means are provided for ensuring the correct interrelation of the parts and the proper co-operation of the controlling cams andv the operating instrumentalities with their movement-imparting levers, said means comprising a supporting bracket 290 formed on the lower frame of the machine and provided with an upright pin 292, while the upper frame of the machine is provided with a depending boss 294 havinga socket to receive the pin It will be seen, therefore, that the contacting surfaces of the bracket 290 and the boss 29 i accurately determine the relation of the upper frame 20 vertically with respect to the lower frame 22, while the pin 292 prevents any relative lateral movement of the two frames. In case it is desired to examine any of the working parts of the machine, which are not disposed upon the upper surface of the upper frame 20, for the purpose of cleaning, oiling or the replacement of broken parts, it is only neces sary toremove the connecting pin 21% (Fig. 7) between the lever 212 and the rod 210 and to disengage a retaining hook 2% (Figs. 1 and 2), whereupon the upper frame 20, carrying most of the working parts of the machine, may be turned upon the pivot pin 286 to allow convenient access to all these parts. Obviously this also allows access to the cont-rolling cams. the clutch and other parts carried upon the lower frame 22. On the other hand, when it is desired to replace the machine in operative condition, it becomes only necessary to turn the upper frame 20 back to its original position, allowing. the rolls 106 and 230 upon the levers 98 and 228 to drop into their respective cam slots and bringing the pin 292 into the socket in the boss 29%- with the assurance that the parts are in proper operative relation. With the replacement of the pin 21 1- and preferably the hook 296, the machine is then in operative condition and ready for use. Such an arrangement has obvious advantages over a machine so constructed with a fixed frame that it is necessary to remove many of the parts attached to the top of the frame before the parts contained within the frame can become accessible, or in which it is necessary to work through small openings in. the outside of the frame in order to obtain access to parts in the interior thereof.

In operating the machine, all the buttons on the button piece are introduced by the operator into the slot 31 of the button guide,

til)

iill) commencing with the throatbutton if, as illustrated, it is the upper of a right-hand shoe which is to be buttonethbr commencing with the top buttonifit is, the upper of a left hand shoe. The machine willhave stopped with the parts substantially. in the position indicated in Fig. 3 and the operator will drag the foremost button in the slot against the curved surface 70 of the button feeding finger to, introduce the shank of the first button into the notch 58. The corresponding first buttonhole will then be placed as in Fig. 2 over the fly feeding finger 90, which the operator will separate from the finger 92 by depressing the finger, piece 142. When the machine has been set in operation by the depression of the treadle, the feeding fingers will start from the position shown in Fig. 2 and carry forward the foremost button and the corresponding buttonhole of the buttonhole fly, which latterwill be firmly held by the fly feeding fingers 90 and 92 and will be guided in a plane transverse to the plane of the but-ton slot by the face of the triangular plate 34 and the face of the lip 42. The movement of the arm 94, through which movement is imparted both to the button feeder and the fly feeder, will be positive in this direction, and as the arm passes through the final part of its feeding move ment, the cam 154 will become operative to lift the fly feeding fingers (this has just started in Fig. 8) to carry the upper edge of the buttonhole slightlyabove the crown of the button, the parts then being in the position snown in Fig.9. In this position it will be noted that the tip of the button feeding finger isengaged behind the depending lip 181 upon the foot of the raceway closer. Thegripping fingers 202' and 204 start to move inwardly justas the feeding movement is completed and act to grip the buttonhole fly on either side of the buttonhole against the foot of the racewaycloser 180 and the depending lip 42 of the button guide 30. In this movement, the finger 204 engages the buttcnhoie fly to the rearof the buttonhole prior tothe engagement of the forward side of the buttonhole by the finger 202 (see Fig. 9) so that there is no tendency for the finger 202to move the buttonhole fly forward. Movement of the finger 204 is then suspended, and it is maintained in gripping engagement by the spring 206 while movement of the finger 202 continues to carry the forward edgeof the buttonhole and the material surrounding the buttonhole across the end of the slot 31 and transversely of the buttonhole fly to open the buttonhole (Fig. 11'). In this action it thrusts the foot 180 of the raceway closer aside, which in turn carries with it the end of the button feeding finger leaving the button free to be passed into 'the buttonhole. During this movementof the ifly engaging fingers 202 and 204, the pusher 222 has started forward andchas almost immediately allowed the button clamping finger 240 to descend and engage'the crown of the button to hold it in position at the end of the raceway 7 after it has been released by the button feeding finger. As the movement of the pusher 222 continues,it engages the head of the button laterally and pushes it out from beneath the holding clamp 240 and through the v buttonhole in the position shown in Fig. 12.

Just after the holding clamp engages a button, the arm having thethrust plate or wiper 234 has been brought into engagement with the cam' surface 140 at the end of the finger 138 formed integrally with the fly feeding finger 90- (this is just starting in Fig. 11) and caused the withdrawal of said finger 90 from the buttonhole just prior to the time when the button is passed into the buttonhole. This withdrawal movement proceeds along a path indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 11 andth'e fly feeding fingers start to move rearwardly under the control of the arm 94 while the buttonhole is still clamped by the fingers 202 and 204. The'pusher 222 acts first upon the side of the head of the button and continues soto act until the button is freed from the clamping finger 240, but as the button enters the buttonhole, it is turned about its point of attachment to the button piece and the point of contact between the end of the pusher and the button has beencaused to be moved downwardly I at the same timethat it is carried outwardly by the pusher, in consequence of which the end surface of the pusher passes above the button and is projected between'the button and the edge of the buttonhole. This excess of movement beyond what would ordinarily be required to pass a button into a buttonhole ensures the complete insertion of the button. As the arm 94 moves rea-rwardly after the insertion of the first button in its corresponding buttonhole, it causes the fly feeding fingers 90 and 92 to be dragged along the fly until the finger 90 enters the next succeeding buttonhole. At the, same time also the lever 72, by reason of its attachment to the lever 94, will have pulled back the button feeding finger 50 until notch 58 has engaged the shank of the next succeeding button. It will be noted that the buttonhole fly is held in upright position in engagement with its guide 34 and that the entry of the finger 90 into the opening of the next succeeding buttonhole is assured ill because of the proper adjustment of the edge gage 13s, with which the edge of the buttonhole fly engages and thus a proper spacing of the end of the fly feeding finger from the edge of the buttonhole fly before the finger 9O enters a buttonhole is ensured. Before the cam lever 98 has completed its rearward movement, movement of the arm 9% will be suspended under the control of thebell crank lever 160, the slotted lever 166 and the spring 172 (Fig. 3) until the fly has been released by the retraction of the gripping fingers-202 and 204-. During this rearward movement of the feeding instrumentalities, the wiper 28d and the button pusher 222 are being retracted, thereby lifting the clamping finger 240. The retraction of the finger 202 also allows the race-way closer again to move to a position with its notch in engagement with the projection 192 of the raceway. The machine is then ready to begin the operation of buttoning the second button.

The machine in which the invention is herein shown as embodied is adapted to operate on work of widely different characteristics without adjustment or substitution of parts. For example, it is unnecessary to substitute button guides having slots of different curvatures even when the curvatures of the lines of buttons in the button piece vary greatly inasmuch as the flexibility of the button piece permits the buttons to be inserted into the slot of the guide irrespective of the degree of curvature of the line of the buttons. lviloreover, as hereinbefore indicated, the feeding means for the buttons and the buttonhole fly automatically accommodate themselves to variations in the spacing of the buttons and buttonholes either in the same or indifferent pieces of wor The provision of guiding means for the buttonhole fly disposed to position it substantially at right angles to the plane of the button guide and the construction and arrangement of other parts of the machine such as the tapered end of the raceway and the means for controlling the buttonhole fly and opening the buttonholes enables the low er button on a button piece, sometimes referred to herein as the throat button, to be buttoned readily and reliably. lVith this construction, the buttonhole fly does not have to be drawn up over the button guide so as to locate the buttonhole over the button which would render it diflicult, if not impossible, to present the buttonhole contiguous to the throat in proper position to re ceive the throat button. On the contrary, a buttonhole when in button receiving position is disposed substantially parallel to the axis of the button. Such disposition of the buttonhole can be accomplished with the exertion of little tension on the buttonhole fly even when the buttonhole is located at a insane short distance only from the throat of a shoe. The buttoning operation is further facilitated by inclining the outer wall 32 of the button guide inwardly to form a pointed end on the wall. Such construction re duces to a minimum the extent of movement of the forward edge of a buttonhole necessary to open the buttonhole. This is of particular importance with respect to the buttoning of the throat button, since the portion of the buttonhole fly forwardly of the buttonhole can be flexed to alimited degree onl inasmuch as it is confined on one side by its connection to the buttonhole fly above and below the buttonhole and on the other side by the seam which secures the fly to the vamp of the shoe.

It will be noted that the button feeder is adapted for use with either round headed buttons, such as are commonly used on shoes, or flat topped buttons, such as are commonly found on gaiters, and is prevented from tilting the button or being pressed underneath the button as it rests in the raceway by the clamping finger 2&0.

Having described my invention, what I Clillli'l as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In machine for operating on shoe uppers, a frame, an arm mounted for swinging movement, operating means for the arm positively actuated to and fro, and means for connecting said operating means to the arm to allow movement of the arm to be retarded in one direction comprising a bell crank lever pivotally mounted on the arm, means for connecting said lever to said operating means, guiding means pivotally mounted on said frame for controlling the movement of another point on said bell crank lev 1', means resiliently urging said guiding means in one direction, and means positively controlling the movement of the guding means in anothor direction.

2. In a machine for operating on shoe uppers, a frame, an arm mounted for swinging movement, positively actuated means for operating the arm to and fro, means for connecting the operating means to the arm to allow movement of the arm to be retarded in one direction comprising a guiding member pivoted to the frame constructed and arranged to control said connection, resilient means urging said memberin one direction, means for determining the movement of the guiding member in another direction, and means for adjusting the effect of said resil ient means.

3. In a but-toning machine, means for rclatively moving the buttons disposed in a row on a button piece and a buttonhole fly having a corresponding row of buttonhole; to perform successively single buttoning operations, a finger for feeding the fly in the direction of the row of buttonholes, and means llt) tioned in contact with one side of said fly opposite the row of buttonholes, and a feedmg finger movably mounted on said arm constructed and arranged to pass through the buttonholes and bear against said mem- 5. In a buttoning machine, means for relatively moving the buttons on a button piece and a buttonhole fly to perform successively single buttoning operations, and means for feeding the fly comprising a movable arm, a

member mounted on said arm arranged in contact with one faceof the button fly oppositethe row of buttonholes, a feeding finger resiliently mounted on said arm adapted to pass through a buttonhole and bear against said member, and an edge gage adjustably mount-ed on saidarm for controlling the relative position of the fly and the feeding means to bring the buttonholes into correct position for the entry of said'finger therein.

6. In a buttoning machine, means for relatively moving the buttons on a button piece and a buttonhole fly to perform successively single buttoning operations, and means for feeding the buttonhole fly comprising a movable arm, an edge gage for determining the position of the edge of. the buttonhole fly adjustably mounted on said arm, and a feeding finger mounted on said arm constructed and arranged successively to enter the buttonholes in the buttonhole fly.

7. In a buttoning machine,means for relatively moving the buttons on a button piece and a buttonhole fly to perform successively single buttoning operations, and means for feeding the buttonhole fly comprisinga movable arm, a member mounted on said arm arranged to contact with one face of the buttonhole fly opposite the rowof buttonholes and provided with an edge gage for determining the position of the edge of the fly with respect to said member, and a feeding finger resiliently mounted on said arm constructed and arranged successively to enter the buttonholes of the fly and bear against said member.

8. In a machine for operating on shoe uppers, means for feeding a buttonhole fly by engagement with the buttonholes of the fly comprising a pivoted finger adapted to enter a button hole in the fly, means for guiding said buttonhole fly, resilient means urging said pivoted finger toward the guiding means, and a finger piece operatively connected to said lever whereby the fly-engaging finger-may be separated from the guiding means against the tension of the vresilient means to enable the insertion or removalo-f a piece of work.

9. In a buttoning machine, mechanism for performing individual buttoning operations 2 successively by relative movement of a plur'ality of buttons on a button piece and the buttonholes of: a buttonhole fly, and means for feeding the buttons to said mechanism comprising a guideway for the shanks of the buttons and feeding means constructed and arranged successively to engage the shanks of the buttons between the guideway and the button piece.

1 10. In a buttoning machine, mechanism for performing individualbuttoning opera tions successively by relative movement of a plurality of buttons on a button piece and thebuttonholes of a buttonhole fly,a raceway for guiding the buttons to said mechanism, a sliding member guided in a predetermine'd relation to the raceway, and a feeding finger mounted on said sliding member for engaging the buttons successively to feed them along the raceway.

11. In a buttoning machine, mechanism for performing individual buttoning operations successively by relative movementof a plurality of buttons on a button piece and the buttonholes of a buttonhole fly, and means for feeding the buttons to saidmechanism comprising a guideway for the shanks of the buttons, a sliding member, and a' feeding finger resiliently mounted upon said sliding member constructed and arranged to engage the shanks of the buttons between the guiding member and button piece."

12. In a buttoning machine, mechanism for performing individual buttoning operations successivelybyrelative movement of a plurality of buttons on a button pieceand the buttonholes of a buttonhole fly, means for feeding the buttonsto said mechanism comprising a slide, means for actuating said slide, a feeding finger pivotally mounted on the slide, resilient means urging said feeding finger into engagement with the shanks of the buttons, and guiding means for the shanks of the buttons constructed and arranged to limit the movement of the feeding finger against said shanks. I

18. In a buttoning machine, mechanism for inserting successively a plurality of buttons on a button piece into the buttonholes of a buttonhole fly, a raceway for the buttons on the button piece. a movable member arranged normally to close theend of the raceway, means for disposing a buttonhole fly with one of its buttonholes opposite, the open end of the raceway arranged thereby to displace said movable member, means for feeding a button along theraceway to a point adjacent to its end, and means associated with said movablemember for reof the head of the button.

15. In a buttoning machine, buttoning instrumentalities, means or supporting a button by engagement with the under side of the head, and means for holding a button against said supporting means during part of the action of said instrumentalities comprising a member resiliently engaging the upper side of the head of the button.

16. In a buttoning machine, buttoning instrumentalities including means for engaging and passing abut-ton on a button piece into a buttonhofe of a buttonhole fly, means for supporting said button at the time'when said engaging and passing means starts to act, and means for pressing a button against said supporting means until the button is removed by the passing means.

17. In a butto-ning machine, buttoning instrumentalities including means for engaging and passing a button on a button piece into a buttonhole of a buttonhole fly, means for supporting said button at the time when said engaging and passing means starts to act, and resilient means holding said button against said supporting means until the button is removed by the passing means.

18. In a buttoning machine, buttoning 1nstrumentalities including means for engaging and passing a button on a button piece into a buttonhole of a buttonhole fly, means for supporting the button for the operation 01 the passing means, and means for holding the button against said supporting means constructed and arranged to be lifted from the sunortin means b backward movement of the passing means thereby to allow the positioning of another button on the supporting means beneath the holding .ieans.

19. In a buttoning machine, a button raceway, means for feeding a button to the end of the raceway, means for clamping a button against the raceway, and means for 1 )assing said button out of the raceway.

20. In a buttoning machine, a guideway for the shanks of the buttons on a button piece, and means projecting below said guideway for deflecting the free edge of the button piece away -from the heads of the buttons.

21. In a buttoning machine, movable buttoning instrumentalities including means for engaging and passing a button on a button piece into a buttonhole ot a buttonhole fly, a

ing and passing a button on a button piece into a buttonhoi of a buttonhole fly, and a raceway to receive the shanks of the buttons on th button piece to guide them to the buttoning instrunientaiities, said race-way being provided with a depending flange adjacent to its delivery end constructed and arranged to deflect the edge of the button piece adjacent to the end of the raceway to remove it from interference with the operation of the butt-oning instrumcntalities.

In a buttoning machine, a raceway for guiding the buttons on a button piece, buttoning instruinentalities including means for disposing successively the buttonholes of a buttonhole fly adjacent to the end of the raceway to receive the buttons on the button piece, and means for deflecting the edge of the button piece away from the path of said buttons and the buttonholes as the button piece approaches the end of the raceway.

2 In a. buttoning machine, the combination of a button guide having a slot to receive a plurality of buttons on a button piece, means "for passing a button from the button uide into a buttonhole of the fly, means for raising the lily to position the buttonhole relatively to the pa sing means to facilitate the insertion of the button into the buttonhole, and means for adjustably determining the time of operation of said raising means with respect to the. time of operation of said passing means.

25. In a buttoning machine, the combination oi" a button guide having a slot to receive a plurality of buttons on a button piece, means adjacent to the delivery end of said slot for passing the buttons on the button piece into tne buttonholes ot the fly, means for raising the fly to position the buttonhole relatively to the button passing means to facilitate the insertion of t ie button into the buttonhole, and means adjustably to determine the. extent of elevation 01" the buttonhole fly effected by the raising means so that the buttonhole of the fly may be variably positioned in accordance with the sine and shape of the head of the button.

26. In a buttoning machine, the combination oi a button guide having a slot to receive a plurality of buttons on a button piece, means for passing the buttons of the button piece successively into the buttonholes of the Ly, means "for feeding the fly to carry the buttonholes of the fiy into operative relation to said passing means constructed and arranged to elevate the fly to.

lilti facilitate the insertion of the buttons into the buttonholes, and an adjustably mounted cam constructed and arranged to determine otally mounted with respect to said casing,

and means for determining the relative posi tion of said pivoted frames constructed and arranged to ensure the proper cooperation of the controlling cams and the operating instrumentalities. v

28. In a machine of the class described, a frame, a plurality of controlling cams mounted in said frame, a frame pivotally mounted with respect to said first-named frame, operating 'instrumentalities including levers pivotally mounted upon said frame, said operating instrumentalities being adapted to contact with and perform operations upon the work, and means for determining the proper relation of said frames whereby the frame carrying the operating instrumentalities may be moved on its pivot to give access to all parts of the operating instrumentalities and may be returned to a predetermined position with its levers in operative relation to the cams mounted on the first-named frame.

29. In a machine of the class described, a supporting casing, a frame pivotally mounted upon said casing, a drive shaft mounted in said pivoted frame and provided with a driving means,'and means adjustably to determine the position of said pivoted frame whereby the position of said driving means may be varied to disconnect the driving means from the source of power and enable the shaft of the machine and the connected parts more readily to be turned over by hand.

30. In a buttoning machine, the combination of a frame, a button guide having a slot to receive a plurality of buttons, means for guiding the buttonhole fly relatively to the button'guide comprising a member operatively connected with the outer piece of the button guide, and means for supporting the outer piece of the button guide comprising a bridge extending from the frame of the machine to said fly-guiding means, said bridge being spaced from the slot of the button guide to allow the passage of buttons beneath the bridge. 7

31. In a buttoning machine, the combination of a button guide having a slotto receive a plurality of buttons on a button piece, spaced grippers'operable toward and from the guide adjacent to the delivery end of the slot, displaceablemeans adjacent to said end of the slot, means for guiding the buttonhole fly intermediate between said grippers and the button guide, means for moving said grippers to cause one of the grippers to hold the rear side of the fly adjacent to the buttonhole against said button guide and for moving the other gripper to engage the fly and press it against said displaceable means adjacent to the otherside of the buttonhole to distend the buttonhole' across the open end of the slot in thebutton guide, the means for moving said grippers being constructed and arranged to cause the first-named gripper securely to hold the buttonhole' fly against the guide before the lastnamed gripper can engage the buttonhole fly with sufficient force to cause a tendency for the fly to move forward, and means for a passing the buttons on the button piece into the buttonholes in the fly.

82. In a buttoning machine, the combination of a frame, a button guide having a slot to receive a plurality of buttons, means positioned'adjacent'to one extremity of the but ton guide arranged to grip the work at intervals, a feeding finger movable from a position adjacent to said gripping devices toward the other end of the button guide, and

a supporting ledge extending in the direction of and positioned below said button guide to support the weight ofthe work and enable the feeding finger to enter the next succeeding buttonhole.

33. In a buttoning machine, the combination of a frame, a button guide horizontally'disposed upon said frame, a guide for the buttonhole fly positioned adjacent to said button guide, buttoning instrumentalities,a feeding finger movable along the length of thebuttonhole fly guide, and a supporting ledge on said frame disposed below said guides to hold up the work sothat the feed-- ing finger may travel from one buttonhole to another.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

LEWIS JAMES BAZZONI. 

